Chapter 224 Blood On The Hands (V) [Edited]
Chapter 224 Blood On The Hands (V) [Edited]
As the dust and smoke from the burst of light cleared, they realized in astonishment that Klaus still stood unscathed, a wicked grin etched on his cold face.
"How is it possible?" Ava mumbled in disbelief.
Even Edward was taken aback, finding that his ultimate attack had no effect on Klaus. Jacob shared the same surprise, dropping his jaw.
As Edward and Jacob were trying to comprehend the situation, they suddenly felt a tightness in their chests, struggling to breathe as if the air was being sucked out of their lungs. They thought it was because of the forest fire's smoke, but soon they saw a black aura emanating from Klaus, like black hands trying to escape from hell.
"What the hell was that?" Jacob muttered.
Some of his men collapsed suddenly. Their faces turned blue, and they gasped with each breath, the sound shrill with every inhale. Naturally, Jacob started to panic when he saw his subordinates faltering before the fight even began.
"Hey! Wake up, idiots!" Jacob yelled.
"I... I can't breathe!" one of them said.
Seeing them made Jacob even more frantic. Meanwhile, Edward's last subordinate was still standing, although struggling to breathe.
"Are you okay?" Edward asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, boss. I can still fight," one of them replied.
Even as Ava said this, she fell, and Edward quickly caught her.
The tide of battle had turned. They were in a superior position before, but now they were struggling to stand, let alone fight.
"I've given you a chance. Now it's my turn."
After the warning, Klaus immediately launched a counterattack. The dark aura surrounding his body intensified, and he created a black energy ball above his hand.
"So, is this your true power, Klaus? Darkness!" Edward exclaimed, gasping for breath.
"That's right," Klaus replied casually. "If you have sunlight, I have black sun, if that's what you're asking."
His response infuriated Edward.
The larger the black ball grew, the thinner the air became. Edward and Jacob were getting dizzy due to the lack of oxygen.
"I hope you can handle this attack," Klaus continued. "Don't worry; I won't make it too big so you can fight a little longer."
Seeing the black sun drew closer, Jacob used his speed to escape before it engulfed him. Meanwhile, Edward pulled Ava along with him before the dark ball swallowed them. They didn't know what would happen to them if they touched it, and they didn't want to find out.
As they scattered, the dark ball split into two and chased the two targets.
"Why the hell is it chasing me?" Jacob shouted, panicking.
Jacob might be the fastest human ever, but the thin air and the fire blocking the way made his speed useless in this battle. He could only keep running as the black ball relentlessly pursued him.
"It seems like it will keep chasing us," Edward whispered. "I think we have to stop it."
Ava nodded.
As the black sun approached, Edward gathered all the remaining mana in his body, creating two giant beams of light in each of his hands. Ava tried to use her powers, summoning roots from the ground to create a barrier.
"Jacob, come here!" Edward yelled.
His shout reached Jacob, and this man quickly took cover behind Edward. Meanwhile, Klaus grinned as he witnessed their teamwork.
"Arrrrrrrggghh!"
Withstanding two simultaneous attacks, Edward screamed at the top of his lungs. The dark balls exploded upon touching the light shields, engulfing everything like night devouring day. The flames that had consumed the forest were extinguished, and the stars disappeared. Everything turned pitch black.
However, a beam of light burst from the darkness, gradually growing larger, dispelling the darkness and illuminating the entire forest with golden light. Edward emerged with the light, like a rising sun. He had successfully withstood all those deadly attacks.
The forest fire was gone, leaving only ashes and charcoal, but fresh air could be breathed again.
But it came at a cost.
"Urrggghh!"
Edward coughed up blood and fell to his knees. Ava quickly helped him to his feet.
"Are you okay?" Ava asked, worried.
No words escaped his lips. Edward simply nodded in response. Ava expressed sadness through her face as she looked at Edward. He was truly weak, having used up his life energy to withstand the dark energy until the end.
"I don't want to interrupt your romantic moment," Jacob said. "But it seems our enemy is not done yet."
After hearing the warning, Ava rolled her eyes in the direction Jacob was looking and found Klaus hovering in the air.
"I have to admit, that was heroic. I'm surprised Edward could hold on this far. Well, he's truly extraordinary," Klaus said.
Ava gritted her teeth in anger. She hated the way Klaus looked at her, as if she were a cornered rat. She really despised that look.
"Let's end this, Klaus."
Ava was surprised when Edward suddenly spoke. She thought her boss couldn't fight anymore. However, this man rose to his feet and gave his cousin an intense stare.
But Klaus simply grinned.
"Hehe, let's start round two," he said.
In a desperate silence, Ava and Jacob gathered the remnants of their strength, while Edward stood with trembling legs. There was no more energy and mana left in his body. He fought with sheer determination.
But Klaus didn't give them a chance to recover. He quickly surrounded them with metal spheres. They flew simultaneously, but Jacob immediately blocked them with a sword lying on the ground. He had seen how those metal spheres took Mason's life, and he wouldn't forget their speed.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
"Let me deal with these fucking balls! You guys attack him!" Jacob yelled.
Edward and Ava tried to confront Klaus, despite their injuries all over their bodies. They launched their final attacks, hoping to overcome this formidable enemy.
Boom! Dozens of thorny roots sprouted from the ground, pursuing Klaus in the air.
While Ava controlled nature, Jacob climbed one of the roots and tried to land a close-range attack.
"Try harder," Klaus mumbled.
Snapping his fingers, a metal sphere escaped from his sleeve and crushed the tree roots.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
"What?!"
Ava was wide-eyed as she watched the cut roots fall to the ground. Edward fell with them, and she quickly summoned another root to catch her boss.
Klaus was truly flawless.
"I can't hold them off much longer!" Jacob shouted, struggling to fend off the metal spheres targeting Ava and Jacob.
As the situation grew more dire, Ava tried to make the most of her last bit of power. Screaming loudly, she summoned tree roots and shaped them into giant hands that shot towards Klaus at high speed.
However, Klaus remained in place, floating in the air, allowing the giant hand to grab him.
Bam!
Thud echoed as the giant root hand squeezed Klaus.
"Yeah!" Ava exclaimed.
She looked happy for a moment, but the joy quickly vanished from her face.
The giant root hand suddenly decayed and slowly turned into ashes. This sight shocked Ava and Jacob. They thought Klaus only had dark powers.
"It can't be," Ava murmured, trembling.
"How is that even possible?" Edward was equally shaken.
Just when all hope seemed lost, Klaus reappeared with an even wider smile.
"It seems you've given your all," Klaus said, sarcastically. "Now, let me finish this."
Snapping his fingers, Klaus sent a metal ball their way. Jacob was the first to fall victim. The metal sphere shot with deadly speed, hitting his leg as he tried to block the other metal spheres.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Crack!
"Arrarrgg!"
The cry echoed in the air, drowning out the sound of broken bones. Jacob collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. His scream ended when a metal sphere struck his skull.
Crack!
Splat!
Klaus rolled his eyes from Jacob to Ava.
"You're next," Klaus said.
Swoosh!
The metal hit her in the abdomen before Ava could react. She was thrown several meters backward.
"Ava!" Edward shouted, desperate.
"Hey, focus on your opponent while you fight. Now, it's your turn," Klaus taunted.
"You—"
Swoosh!
Bam!
"Urrrggh!"
A metal sphere hit Edward in the stomach. The pain was excruciating, spreading throughout his body. His legs gave way, and he staggered, unable to stand any longer. Edward had given it his all and had finally fallen to his knees.
Klaus landed on the ground and walked toward Edward. He looked down at him with a condescending gaze. A wicked grin spread across his face as their eyes met.
"What are you waiting for?" Edward said, giving him a piercing look. "Hurry and finish this—Urgg!" Blood spurted from his mouth.
"Fine, if that's what you want. I'll tell Alexa that you fought valiantly before your death."
Edward gritted his teeth.
Klaus touched Edward's forehead with a metal sphere, and Edward didn't close his eyes as he faced his impending death. Just as Klaus was about to snap his fingers, someone suddenly hugged him from behind.
"Klaus! Don't do it! Please!"
Naturally, Klaus was surprised. Joanna hugged him from behind, tears streaming down her face, begging for Edward's life.